Such an opening can in particular be formed in the region of the roof of the vehicle, the rear window, the side windows, etc. In other words, the invention relates to glass roofs, or more generally transparent or translucent roofs, rear quarter panel windows, windows of rear or side doors, windshields, hatchbacks, and if need be, their combination.
The term “aperture” should therefore be interpreted here in a broad sense of a position provided on the vehicle for receiving such a device. It likewise encompasses, if need be, the conventionally corresponding surface with plural apertures, and for example the assembly corresponding to a roof and a rear window.
A present tendency of automobile design is to more and more propose glazed surfaces in vehicles, particularly for reasons of comfort, esthetics and ergonomics. Therefore, in particular, a partially or wholly transparent roof may be provided. In certain cases, the windshield and/or the rear quarter panel windows form a transparent prolongation of this roof.
These roofs, as well as the other glazed surfaces, are formed of special glasses. They are often difficult to manufacture, particularly when the surface is large and not plane. This is the case, for example, of numerous glass roofs, which have at least a double curvature, longitudinally and laterally, or variable curvatures.
These glass roofs are moreover very heavy, which has drawn the attention of automobile constructors, who always wish to reduce the total weight of the vehicle and to lower its center of gravity. Furthermore, they are relatively fragile.
Moreover, the mounting of such a roof is not easy, and has to be followed by many operations by the constructor to install all the equipment associated with the roof, for example lighting, a finishing trim, or an occulting blind.
Regarding the latter point, it should be noted that the presence of a blind, or of another type of occulting means, is necessary, because it is essential in certain circumstances to occult at least a portion of the glazed surface, for example for protection from the sun.
Numerous types of roof blind have already been proposed, and are generally complex.
In fact, it is necessary to guide and maintain the blind in a horizontal position, without its buckling (for evident esthetic and ergonomic reasons), and preferably so that it follows the curvature of the roof so as to free the available interior space as far as possible. To obtain this result, the curtain of the blind is generally equipped with stiffeners, which will keep it in the desired position.
The use of such stiffeners makes the construction and use of the blind relatively complex and heavy. Moreover, this approach generates considerable bulk during the folding of the blind (the bulk of the stiffeners is added to that of the cloth), while it is always desired that the space within the vehicle remains as large as possible. This is particularly true for the roof.